the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged to us,  we went on an outing to 
 the glass factory that bore  our  family 
 name. it had  changed owners many  times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood  abandoned  for   a   long  while. 
 finally,  the  natural end  station  for 
 the buildings  that  survive: a  museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's  a  long time  since  my  family 
 made  anything. by  many,  we  would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there are  two  main  factory buildings, 
 domed things of several  floors, made in 
 yellow brick. large  but narrow windows, 
 reminescent    of     some    cathedral. 
 custom-made  glass, of course, large and 
 leaded, and  ashen. a bit too dark to be 
 practical.   on  the  eastern  building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other one  is publicly open. there's 
 a museum, with wax  figures of my  great 
 great  great grandfather, or  something. 
 various tools (or replicas) laid out  on 
 tables, with explaining texts. a  lot of 
 glass     of     varying      thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i quickly sneak  out, and climb into the 
 other   building.    the   contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict  for   a   long  time,  windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark  glass  all  over  the   floor.  no 
 electric lights,  but i can  see by  the 
 light that shines in wherever  the  dark 
 windows    are    missing     a    pane. 
                                          
 however, the greatest difference  is the 
 higher  floors: this  building has none. 
 it is one massive  hall, stretching away 
 infinitely above me. somewhere  up there 
 is some  great  iron  latticework,  from 
 where  chains  are  suspended, and parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there is,  in  the middle  of the  great 
 hall,  a  thin  spiral   staircase  that 
 leads up there. i sneak over  there, and 
 take a  few reluctant  steps. after just 
 a  revolution, i notice  that  for  each 
 step the  building  starts to  glow, the 
 bricks  turning a  dark  red,  and  then 
 orange,  all the  piled  up debree being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i  stop ready to run down and  out,  but 
 there's someone else  on  the  staircase 
 with   me   now,  pressed  close.   he's 
 looking  like me,  short  hair  and thin 
 arms, but with  ears  from  some animal, 
 and  more disturbingly,  completely made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear  holds  me in  place  while  he 
 starts  operating levers and  dials  set 
 in the center  of the staircase. slowly, 
 it starts  spinning,  circling  upwards. 
 it's  an   elevator!  i   start  to  run 
 downwards,  but  now  the   liquid   boy 
 creature grabs hold  of  me.  i  try  to 
 shake him  off, but he's too strong, and 
 pulls   me    back   up   beside    him. 
                                          
 this  time, i  turn angry  instead. what 
 the hell? who is  this guy, acting  like 
 this? i reach out  my free arm  and slam 
 a  random   lever.  some  metal  bar  is 
 suddenly  released  between  us, hitting 
 him  on  the arm, forcing my  release. i 
 shove him off  of me,  and he falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,  a   thin  rusty  chainmail 
 curtain is  dropped around me.  but  the 
 elevator  also speeds up  significantly. 
                                          
 the  walls  are  flaring   now,  yellow, 
 white, almost  blue. i close my eyes and 
 curl into a ball. but  then,  the  glass 
 boy  screams,  a   piercing  sound  that 
 forces my eyes back open.  i watch as he 
 becomes  too liquid,  his  body  pooling 
 down  in his now  massive tail, and  the 
 tip of it  suddenly breaks of in a glass 
 drop  that  falls  toward   the  factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's crawling  on the  stairs, unable to 
 keep  his body upright. can't reach  the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his  body  is  turning  into dark 
 pearls. finally,  he's lost  too much of 
 himself and  the  scream  is  cut short. 
 the   last   of    him    rains    down. 
                                          
 i still  can't  reach  the  levers  from 
 within my  cage.  looking  up, i  try to 
 make  out  the  ceiling,  but it's all a 
 whirling sea  of colours. below me glows 
 the  hellfire of  the factory walls, but 
 very faint. i  sit down, curl  back  up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a  large  clunk  shakes  my entire body, 
 and snaps  me  back  into  reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs   are  still   moving   slightly, 
 clicking in  place, carrying me the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and   i  slowly   dismount  the  stairs. 
                                          
 shaking and crying,  i make  my way over 
 the factory floor,  wading  through dark 
 glass marbles.  a quick glance down, and 
 i  see  there's something  faint  inside 
 them.   embryos?    are   these    eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.